<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>first day back by zagspect</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625663">first day back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagspect/pseuds/zagspect'>zagspect</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hades (Video Game 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(wantstosmooch) icon is a love language and thats valid, F/M, and...whoo! an adjustment is to be had, intermission implied. WINK, its a feelings fic but still. zagmeg gonna zagmeg, more specifically MY early access zag, post-credits pre-epilogue, so hes been escape attempting for one full year and eleven-something months, specifically an early access zag</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:55:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>932</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625663</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagspect/pseuds/zagspect</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Do what you love and your hobbies will feel like work- but, no, no, that's pessimist's talk! Zag still has first-day jitters, though, and Meg considers taking a page from Zag's book- It's time, Zag, time to have to talk about your feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Megaera/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>first day back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>whats up i wrote this at like 6am when i was very sick. i am still pretty sick now. if i wasnt thisd be a comic. anyway i cant wait to forget i ever wrote it. </p><p>the background here is that my zag specifically has just been breakdown cycle city ever since 1.0 dropped. yknow how it is!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When he enters his room Meg is there, reapplying lipstick in his mirror. The last time she was here...<em>well</em>. The times before that, ah, don't think about it.<br/>
<br/>
"Hello there!" Zag says, waving brightly. "Have something to do that's too urgent to even sit in the lounge and tell me about needing to do a paperwork first?"<br/>
<br/>
"Depends how this conversation goes," she says, and oh no, his heart sinks. What's he done, what-<br/>
<br/>
"Did I do something that hurt you?", he tries, his best guess at the moment. He is prepared (or, wants to be prepared) to be broken up with, but still, anything he can do to fix it-<br/>
<br/>
She shakes her head. He cant hurt her, so she says, right.<br/>
<br/>
"Look," Meg starts slowly, almost awkward. She covers over it with a glare. "Is this just how it's going to be for you from now on? Cycling every few runs between being downright giddy and having a cloud over your head so dark <em>Tis</em> is concerned?"<br/>
<br/>
It sounds practiced. He takes a moment to imagine her practicing this in his mirror. He <em>is</em> rubbing off on her, and it makes him smile a little.<br/>
<br/>
"Maybe your compliments to my maturity jinxed me?"<br/>
<br/>
"Fine, then. I love it when you act like a moody teenager, I want you to keep it up forever. Does that help?"<br/>
<br/>
"A high expectation, Meg, not sure I'm able to reach it!"<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It feels shallow and they both know it. They're talking around the subject. Zag, for once, does not have his words prepared yet, has not pinned down why he's doing what he's doing. He finds a nectar bottle on a shelf, picks it up, ties and unties the ribbon as Meg waits with eyes on him. Theyre past the point of needing so many gifts, but it helps him think.<br/>
<br/>
"I'm scared.", is what he says finally. He wasn't sure he was until it left his mouth. But he <em>is</em>, it feels right when he says it.<br/>
<br/>
"I don't want my mother to know- not after I practically shouted at her to move back in- but it's not at all what I expected going in and things will be different forever now, and, well. It's scary."<br/>
<br/>
It feels weird, putting together his thoughts as he voices them. He focuses on the nectar instead. It's a good ribbon, silky under his fingers, a little frayed at the edges- everything gets like that in his hands long enough. Not, you know, metaphorically speaking. He hopes. Now he's <em>got</em> to say more, if just to clear his head.<br/>
<br/>
"I was fighting Tisiphone, right, and she killed me the first time, and hanging on by a thread, my dying thought was just- <em>I don't want to go back to that house</em>. And that knocked me off my game, is all."<br/>
<br/>
He cant tell what the look Meg's giving him means. She wont take the nectar, not now, he can tell by now these things, but there's something else he <em>can</em> give her in exchange for the bundle of feelings dumped in her lap-<br/>
<br/>
"Or maybe work is just poison to my soul?"<br/>
<br/>
She doesn't snort at his joke, or even smile.<br/>
<br/>
"That makes sense, I guess." is what Meg says instead. She, too, sounds like she stumbled into something she wasn't prepared for the results of. She considers him a moment bridges the gap between them, puts an arm around his shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
"You're making me sound like <em>you</em>," she grumbles, "But I think things will improve. The Queen......I think she's going to keep your father from his usual. So you wont have to worry about that."<br/>
<br/>
"Aww, Meg, you really think he's hurt me? You've joined the Hades Hating Club at long last!"<br/>
<br/>
He could just kiss her. He does, actually, on tiptoe, short and sweet. She ruffles his hair fondly in return.<br/>
<br/>
"Good for you getting in just before the clubs disbanded, then." he says. It comes out quicker than he meant it to. "Wouldn't want you to have missed your welcome kiss."<br/>
<br/>
She rolls her eyes. Something settles into place for Zag, realizing only after it's happened that the idea of a post-Hades-being-awful-era makes him shiver.<br/>
<br/>
"I... think that's part of it.", he tells her. Serious now, leaning into Meg so his wreath fire flickers up her shoulder. It's all about the friendly leaning, he explained to her once long ago, so people know you're open to listening to them. That you care. But himself won't tell him anything else about this. Which is fine, it's fine, he's good at getting anybody to open up, himself included. He has a piece of this puzzle that will fit..... <em>somewhere</em>. One day. <br/>
<br/>
"You're scared of...." Meg squints at him. "Things <em>improving</em>? After working so hard to make them so?"<br/>
<br/>
"I don't know why any more than you do, Meg."<br/>
<br/>
She nods seriously at this- just taking it in. It's all true, all acknowledged. He's scared, he's on the cusp of knowing why, it's not yet revealed to him. He feels...exposed. Which reminds him-<br/>
<br/>
"Now," he says, and puts a hand out, experimentally around her waist. She lets it stay, puts her own hand over his. "Have I done enough soul-baring for you to say this conversation went well?"<br/>
<br/>
Well enough, for... he raises an eyebrow at her.<br/>
<br/>
"That's immaturity again," she snorts, "But I suppose I asked that of you specifically."<br/>
<br/>
There are other things she wants to ask of him, needing much less thought. So she does, and he is ready to answer.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>